Tuesday, November 29, 2016

LUDHIANA: Ludhiana has the most four-wheelers in Punjab. The city has precisely two and a half times more cars than the national average, says Navdeep Asija, a Mohali-based traffic advisor, who was so concerned by the figures he filed a case of 'Right to walk' in Punjab and Haryana High Court. According to data compiled by Asija, a copy of which is with The Times of India, there are four cars for 100 persons in Ludhiana and Jalandhar. But Ludhiana has a higher percentage of four-wheelers at 16% with Jalandhar following closely at 15%. The number of four-wheelers per 100 persons for the state is two, or half the value for Ludhiana and Jalandhar.

As per the figures, which were compiled a few years ago, the projected estimated vehicle population for 2016 from the year 2000 is 10,29,199 for Ludhiana followed by Jalandhar at 6,46,980. But the total vehicle count per 100 people in Jalandhar is 28, followed by Ludhiana at 27.

"We compiled the data of four-wheelers because most of the public money is going to facilitate 4% of the population and nothing is left for the poor who walk or cycle. Crores are being spent on that but there's not a kilometer long footpath where people can walk. I have been fighting for the right to walk since 2010 and have filed a case in the Punjab and Haryana High Court. I think no citizen should be deprived of walking. Pedestrians and cyclists are a minority community on roads and my fight is for them. The one who has less in life should have more in law", said Navdeep. After studying the MC budget, he said spending on footpaths for pedestrians and cyclists is negligible

This is corroborated by cyclists and walkers who are hardpressed for space. "Though it is good that the government is spending money on roads, they should not ignore the fact that a sizeable percentage of people in Ludhiana also walk and cycle. They should be given better facilities on roads, including footpaths and cycling tracks", said Davinder Nagi, President, Ludhiana Peddlers Club.

The traffic advisor says he wants walking to be included as a fundamental right under Article 21 of the Indian Constitution, which would guarantee a healthy life to every citizen as walking is good for health. MC officials said this year's budget for repair and construction of roads in the city was Rs 280 crore. Of this, they said, around Rs 2 to Rs 3 crore was for repair of footpaths.

Beautiful Fazilka

Fazilite Network..

About Fazilka...

160 year old historical town Fazilka of District Ferozepur, also known as Bangla, is located in southwestern Punjab (INDIA), about 325 kms west of Punjab State Capital Chandigarh, 85 km south-west of the district headquarters, Ferozepur and 200 km south of Amritsar. Fazilka is on India -Pakistan border and is 11 km off the international border with Pakistan. It is situated on the rice growing and cotton rich belt of the state and is one of the major rice exporting centers in India. Before partition, the town was the biggest wool market in undivided Punjab.

Fazilka’s origin dates back to AD 1844. It was established by Mr. Oliver and was christened after the original owner of the land, Mian Fazil Watoo. The first railway line through the town was setup in AD 1898 on the occasion of the Diamond Jubilee celebration of the accession of Queen Victoria. Being at the border, Fazilka also had to bear the brunt of the two Indo-Pak wars of 1965 and 1971.

The famous ‘Tosha’ sweets have its origin in Fazilka. The first single cylinder steam ship in the world, Fazilka, was named after this town. Fazilka is also home to the second biggest TV tower in Asia, which stands at 305 m above the ground.
Amritsar International Airport and Ludhiana Domestic Airport serves Fazilka. Fazilka Railway Station is located on Abhor- Ferozepur Region of Northern Railways. National Highway 10 passes through Fazilka.

Geography & Demography of the City:

As of 2001 India census,Fazilka had a population of 67,424. Males constitute 52% of the population and females 48%. Fazilka has an average literacy rate of 68%, higher than the national average of 59.5%: male literacy is 72%, and female literacy is 62%. In Fazilka, 13% of the population is under 6 years of age